Traditional report covers are of a low cost construction and have front and back covers that can be placed around a stack of paper. The covers are bound to the stack such as by stapling, attaching two bars of plastic with extensions that extend through the covers and holes in the stack, or attaching a flexible spine of sheet plastic with curved extensions extending through holes in the stack.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,135,832 teaches a binder with a retaining apparatus made of a resilient sheet material. The apparatus has leaf holders that extend through leak apertures and are wedged between a cover and a tab of the apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,362,412 shows a loose leaf binder with plastic retaining members. A tongue with protuberances that extends through apertures in loose leaf sheets attaches to a body portion. The body portion must be forced into a curve to unlock the tongue. Also, the portion that must be so manipulated is positioned away from the spine of the binder with respect to the root end of the tongue.
The invention is directed to a binder that has a first panel and at least one fastener. The fastener has a base attached to the panel and a binding member positionable in a closed position defining a closed loop, and in an open position in which the loop is open for mounting and dismounting sheets thereto. A lock is disposed in close proximity with the base and in releasable locking association with the binding member in the closed position. A lever is operatively connected with the lock such that depressing the lever in an unlocking direction causes the lock to release the binding member from the closed position. In one embodiment, the lever comprises a single button, and in another, it includes two levers that can be squeezed together to unlock the binding member. Also, the button is preferably disposed near an edge of the panel to facilitate its operation when the top sheet of the stack is visible on top of the stack and on the panel. This construction can be provided as a low cost report cover.
The loop of the preferred embodiment is defined by both the binding member and the base. The base of this embodiment includes a surface defining the inside of the loop. This surface has a recessed portion and an elevated portion adjacent each other to increase the inside diameter of the loop. The binding member preferably meets the base adjacent the elevated portion and remotely from the recessed portion.